Story 11/2
The group started the night preparing to set out with Amaras (who I was mistakenly calling Akama when we were playing) to check in with an outpost outside of town that they had lost contact with. The group receives 250g right off the bat, and will get the other 250 when they successfully reach the outpost. Beorn wraps up a bit with some folks around the north gate, and convinces two men named Cember and Apolly to come with them to the outpost. Cember and Apolly having basic medical skills and supplies, so they heal the group 1d6 every short rest. The group sets off towards the outpost. When they reach a safe distance from the outpost, they can see torch fires, which means the outpost is still inhabited. Monashe is able to attune with the wilds, and determines that humanoids have been moving two and from the outpost, and a cart was moving towards the outpost. Beorn stealthily gets closer, and can see humanoid figures, he gets even closer and sees an attack going on, but he is spotted by a guard tower. The group decides to move in closer and attempt to thwart the attack. When they get in close, Cember gasps "That is Zserub!" referring to a man standing on top of a crate. The group thwarts Zserub and his brutal Chaos Knight. Seeing their leader fall, the attacking army of roughly 100 is defeated by the City Guard at the outpost. The city guard suffered 50 or so casualties, so their standing force is now 150. The group looks on Zserub's body, and they don't find much. They find a map, with the outpost and the keep circled, and they find a magic marking on his forearm depicting a skull and a sickle. A strong religion check from Aeowyn reveals that the marking is similar to the sigil of a long dead god, but she can't quite remember who. The group goes with Amaras into the outpost to get a report of the situation. City Guard have trickled into the outpost of reports from the city. The keep seems to be under the control of whoever is launching this attack. Most of the City Guard Barracks have been taken out, and the slums are a mess right now. The cathedral seems to be untouched. Amaras wants to hire the group to be a crack team for him. He has no more money left after giving his remaining 250g to the group, but if the cities coffers remain intact, he promises 200g per enemy killed. Meanwhile, Klon talks to a shell shocked City Guard, who mentions seeing a dwarf similar to the one Klon is searching for. He says they dwarf was killing injured people in the city. Amaras's goal is to retake the city, and he wants his 150 men to come from the east, and the group to come from the west and meet at the keep. He is talked out of this, and ultimately decides to take his 150 men through the east, and the group through the north. Cember and Apolly secretly tell the group of a smugglers tunnel near the north gate, and the group decides to enter the city through there. <--------- Previous Session [[Story 11/23|Next Session --------->]]